“When
I started at Dondero in 1970, there were about 2,400 students,” said Barich.
“By the time I left, I think we had around 600. Fewer students meant less
talent.

“But
the thing about education is, you do it because you love to be around the kids.
I always liked sports, so coaching was part of the natural progression. The
relationships formed, and the friendships made, went far beyond wins and
losses. They were and are invaluable, even to this day.”

While
the scoreboard was not always kind, Barich’s Dondero players always competed
hard and the coach always had them well-prepared.

Barich
also served as athletic director at Dondero for 17 years. The Jerry Barich
Holiday Classic will be held Friday, Dec. 21, and Saturday, Dec. 22.

On
Friday, there will two game sites for the boys’ basketball tournament, Royal
Oak High and Bishop Foley. The junior varsity games will be played at Bishop Foley
that day; the host Ventures will take on Clawson at 3 p.m. and at 5:30, Royal
Oak and Redford Union will meet. The varsity games will be at Royal Oak High;
Bishop Foley and Clawson will meet at 5:30 p.m., and Royal Oak-Redford Union play
at 7.

All
Saturday games will be played at Royal Oak High. The day tips off with an
alumni game at 10 a.m. All former players from Dondero, Kimball and Royal Oak
High are invited to play. The junior varsity consolation finals will be at 2
p.m., with the junior varsity championship game at 3:30. The varsity
consolation game will be played at 5:30 p.m., with the championship game slated
to start at 7.

“We’re
holding a holiday tournament in Jerry Barich’s honor,” said John Sebastian. “He
helped build Royal Oak basketball not just at Dondero but in the entire city.
Jerry Barich exemplified class.”

Sebastian
is the junior varsity boys’ coach at Royal Oak High. He helped organize the
event, along with Royal Oak High boys’ varsity coach Mike Massucci. Sebastian’s
relationship with Barich is multi-layered. A 1987 Dondero grad, Sebastian played
for Barich. He later coached with Barich, and took over when his former coach
stepped down.

“We
were always very well-prepared,” said Sebastian. “We practiced hard to get
ready for every opponent. Jerry Barich created so many relationships during his
tenure as a coach and an athletic director.”

While
Dondero did its share of struggling, especially during the school’s later
years, there were definitely some very successful runs for the Oaks.

It
was in the early 1980s when the Oaks were led to some outstanding seasons by
Jim Lama, George Heike and John Newton. Lama and Heike were both about 6-8 and
they provided an intimidating inside presence. Newton, a guard, provided much
of the firepower from the outside.When
the players were juniors, the Oaks lost their first regular-season game and
then reeled off 19 consecutive victories. Dondero wound up falling to Brother
Rice in a regional championship game played at Southfield-Lathrup.

The
following season, the Oaks’ raced to a 20-0 start and then fell in overtime to
Ferndale in a district title game.

Ten
years later, Theron Wilson helped lead Dondero to another amazing season. He
was surrounded by outstanding athletes like Ben Bancroft, Ron Owens, Jason
Beverlin and Mick Lovelace.

Eventually,
continued declining enrollment caused the demise of Dondero.
The storied school closed following the 2005-2006 school year. The district now
has only one high school, Royal Oak High, which is located on the site of the
former Royal Oak Kimball.

Dondero was renovated and is now Royal Oak Middle School.

“We
wanted to continue to honor the tradition of Royal Oak Kimball and Royal Oak
Dondero, as well as Royal Oak High School,” said Massucci, the second-year
coach at Royal Oak High. “Last year at our first home game we welcomed many of
the coaches from the past like Chuck Jones, Jerry Barich, Paul Galbenski and
John Sebastian. We had also reached out to people like Mike Lewis and Gary
Fralick.”

Two
of those former head coaches are now on his staff. Sebastian is handling the
junior varsity team and Lewis, a former head coach at Kimball, is the freshman
coach.

“It
is important for our young people to understand some of what they are playing
for,” continued Massucci. “It is important they realize it is more than just
for themselves. There is a tradition and a larger legacy to realize.”
Massucci is a Royal Oak Shrine grad. He grew up in the city. While this is only
his second year at Royal Oak High, he coached at Shrine for years.

“I
feel very honored and humbled about having a Christmas tournament in my name,”
said Barich.

Merry
Christmas, coach. It’s a present you deserve.

Anyone
interested in playing in Saturday morning’s alumni game should contact John
Sebastian at 248.563.8264.